1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to electronic gun locks and friendly/foe systems, particularly electronic systems for small arms.
2. Description of the Related Art
The need for a reliable lock for a handgun or rifle or shotgun has never been more accurate. With numbers of guns owned by citizens increasing at a substantial rate and the fire power of these weapons becoming greater, a loaded firearm in the hands of a minor or unauthorized person often results in catastrophic consequences. Typical safety mechanisms such as trigger locks are difficult to remove quickly which makes them unsuitable for locking firearms which must be ready for use at a moment's notice.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,114, issued to Enget on Dec. 1, 1992, discloses an automatic gun safety device consisting of a mechanism for transmitting radio signals and a receiver attached to the weapon. A solenoid is electrically connected to the receiving mechanism. The solenoid normally engages the trigger of the firearm, so that the firearm can only be fired when the transmitting mechanism is in range of the receiving mechanism and a properly coded signal is being received by the receiving mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,370, issued to Lemelson on Dec. 18, 1984, discloses another form of electronic locking apparatus for firearms. This device comprises a passive electronic circuit which is worn on the arm or finger of the person authorized to use the weapon. The system is activated by field energy generated by an electronic circuit supported in the weapon, and generates a signal or code which is short wave transmitted to the weapon's electronic circuit. Once the control signal is generated, a motor or solenoid drives a latch or stop mechanism within the firearm to disable it. U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,545, issued to Shaw, Jr. on Aug. 28, 1984, discloses a safety device responsive to the palm or fingerprint of one or more individuals authorized to fire the weapon. This particular safety device is activated by a heat sensor when the device is held in the hand. Unless the palm or finger print of the person holding the device matches a pre-stored pattern, a blocking safety mechanism normally preventing operation of the weapon, is maintained in its "blocking slate" and the weapon will not fire.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,376, issued to Pugh on May 21, 1991, discloses still another variation of an electronic safety lock for small arms. This disclosure teaches the use of a solenoid actuated or deactuated upon the application of an electronic signal connected to a decoder. A magnetized ring or microchip bearing ring enables authorized users to operate the handgun.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,232, issued to Eppler on Nov. 5, 1991, discloses still another safety device for firearms. In this particular disclosure, a code generator is worn on the finger or palm. The code generator can be a microchip, bar code, etc., which is read by a detector in the handgun so that only authorized users can operate the trigger.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,175, issued to Oncke, et al. on Jun. 11, 1991, discloses a safety arrangement for selectively disabling a firearm. This patent teaches the use of a key pad having a plurality of key buttons which must be pushed in the proper sequence in order to unlock the gun. The gun is locked by means of a rod slidably mounted in the handle and adapted to move relative to the, hammer, thereby causing the hammer to be locked unless the proper signal is provided to unlock the gun.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,679, issued to Barker, et al. on Feb. 24, 1976, discloses still another solenoid activated switching mechanism for disabling a firearm. The solenoid is electrically connected to a signal receiver and decoder, which must receive the proper signal from an external energizer and encoder in order to send the proper release signal to the solenoid.
All of the above devices must be intricately incorporated as part of the weapon and, therefore, are extremely difficult to retrofit to existing firearms. Moreover, they are all shown to be used strictly with handguns and would not lend themselves to be easily modified to fit within a rifle.
Law enforcement agencies and the military face a related problem that is not solved or considered by the other referenced devices. That problem is the friend/foe issue that often results in friendly force being accidently wounded or even killed by their comrades in arms. During a fire fight, it is extremely easy to make a mistake, due to the stress and haste of the activity, concerning a proper target versus an incorrect target. Despite advances in electronic devices for aircraft, tanks, etc. concerning friend/foe identification, nothing has been developed for infantry personnel or for local law enforcement officers. Situations as the shoot out in Waco, Tex. amplify the need for an officer to be certain that his target is not a "friend" before the weapon is discharged.
Therefore, there is a long felt need for an apparatus that combines the ability to lock either a handgun or a rifle as a safety mechanism to prevent unauthorized personnel from firing the weapon. There is also a long felt need for an apparatus that can be used to automatically prevent the weapon from being fired if it is aimed at a "friend" during a combat situation yet enable the weapon to be fired when aimed at a "foe". It would also be beneficial if this apparatus could utilize the infra red laser sighting system that is found on many handguns and rifles today. An apparatus as described that can be easily adapted to fit a variety of sizes and types of handguns or rifles, and that can be retrofitted to existing weapons requiring little modification of the weapon other replacing the handgrips is not disclosed in the prior art.